75-year-old man unintentionally shoots and kills himself while cleaning his gun

75-year-old Frank Kern, of Flemington, New Jersey, was cleaning and disassembling his .22 caliber rifle when he unintentionally discharged the gun. Kern was shot in the abdomen.
When police arrived, they found Kern lying in his garage.  He was flown to a medical center in Trenton but died the next morning of his injuries.
According to the county prosecutor's office, "This is a terrible tragedy and our condolences go out to the Kern family."

Woman didn't know gun was loaded, shoots and kills boyfriend

20-year-old Makenzie Halinski was at her boyfriend's house in Festus, Missouri. She and her boyfriend, 20-year-old Cole Campbell were in the basement smoking marijuana and drinking. In a police interview, Halinski said that Campbell was showing her how to use guns and that he would always unload a gun and put the safety on before handing it to her.
At some point, Campbell handed Halinski a handgun and told her it was unloaded and the safety was on. He told her to point the gun toward him and said "shoot me." Thinking the handgun was empty, Halinski pulled the trigger.

The gun discharged and Campbell was shot in the forehead. Campbell was declared dead at the scene.
Neighbors said they were not surprised, that Campbell had set up a shooting range in his basement and that at times he practiced shooting targets from his basement bed.
Police seized multiple guns as well as several pipe bombs from the house.
Halinski was charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Police chief unintentionally shoots himself with newly issued weapon

Chief Mark Hathaway, a 25-year veteran officer and current chief of the Bangor, Maine police, was cleaning his newly issued weapon Monday when he unintentionally discharged the gun.
According to a statement from the city, "At approximately 5:15 p.m., while officers were cleaning their new guns at the Bangor police station, Chief Mark Hathaway sustained a non-life threatening injury to his left hand in what appears to be an accidental discharge of his duty weapon."
Hathaway was taken to the local hospital where he was treated and released.
The department had just replaced the police firearms with .45-caliber semiautomatic Glock handguns.
"There are different mechanisms in the gun that is for sure," said a police spokesperson.

Teen who received handgun as graduation present unintentionally shoots friend

18-year-old Logan Evans, of Plankinton, South Dakota, was riding with three friends on I-90 Saturday morning. Evans had just received a 9mm handgun as a high school graduation present and was showing off the gun.
He removed the magazine from the gun and, thinking the gun was now empty, pointed it at Nick Lawson, who was sitting in the back seat, and pulled the trigger.
Lawson was shot in the chest. He was airlifted to the hospital in Sioux Falls. The hospital has not released his condition but according to social media posts, Lawson is improving but remains in the hospital.
The local school superintendent said that Evans graduated high school this year and that Lawson will be a senior next year. "It's obviously a tragic accident," he said, "we just hope and wish for the best for all people involved."
Evans has been charged with aggravated assault and reckless discharge of a firearm.

Man loading handgun unintentionally fires weapon, hits cyclist passing by

49-year-old John Albers, of Herndon, Virginia, was in his home Saturday night cleaning and reloading his handgun. Albers unintentionally discharged the weapon.
The bullet traveled outside and hit a man on a bicycle who happened to be riding by at that moment. The man was hit in the abdomen. He was taken to the hospital for surgery. "He should make it though this," said a spokesperson for the police, "but the injuries were pretty significant."
Albers was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, a class one misdemeanor.

Parents fighting over handgun shoot and kill 6-month-old daughter

26-year-old Angela Major and 40-year-old Ken Mason, of Knoxville, Tennessee were struggling over a handgun when the gun unintentionally discharged.
According to a witness, the couple was fighting over a handgun while their six-month-old baby sat at their feet. The gun went off, striking the father in the hand and hitting the baby girl in the head.
The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Major has a criminal history that includes charges of aggravated burglary, aggravated arson, theft and vandalism. She had three other children but has lost custody of them. Mason also has a criminal history.
The parents have been charged with reckless homicide and are being held on $1 million bond.

Gun in purse discharges, shooting 7-year-old girl

43-year-old Sondra Taylor, of St. Louis County, Missouri, had arranged for a massage therapist to come to her home and give her and her 17-year-old daughter massages. The therapist brought her 7-year-old daughter along.
Sondra had left her purse on the dining room table. Inside her purse was a .38-caliber handgun.
Somehow the purse was knocked off the table and when it hit the floor the gun inside discharged. The bullet struck the 7-year-old girl in the leg. She was taken to the hospital for treatment and is expected to be okay.
It was not clear if Sondra has a concealed weapons permit. Police are investigating the incident.

Man unintentionally shoots and kills daughter

51-year-old Scott Hazelbaker, of Des Moines, Iowa, was at home with his 18-year-old daughter Emily. Hazelbaker told a reporter that the two were joking around, having fun, while Emily was packing and getting ready to go to Kansas City for a concert the next night.
A news release from police details what happened next. "Early reports suggest Scott Hazelbaker pointed a handgun at his daughter and pulled the trigger without knowing a bullet was loaded in the gun."
Emily died at the scene.
Hazelbaker called Emily his best friend. He said he will have to live for the rest of his life with the fact that he pulled the trigger. According to a neighbor, Hazelbaker "talked about how his daughter was his prized possession."
Hazelbaker has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault by intentionally pointing a weapon at his daughter.

After man unintentionally shoots through apartment wall, police find cache of weapons

31-year-old Matthew Klein, of Glen Burnie, Maryland unintentionally discharged a handgun in his apartment. The bullet went through the wall into the apartment next door. Six people, including three children were in the next door apartment at the time but fortunately, no one was injured.
Klein tried to convince police that he had unintentionally shot an air rifle, but police found a loaded handgun with a fresh spent round.
After obtaining permission to search Klien's home police found two high-powered rifles, two air rifles, a Tec9 assault pistol, 14 handguns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
Police confiscated the guns and charged Klein with reckless endangerment and related offenses.

Man buys gun for protection, unintentionally shoots and kills friend

20-year-old Joe Colter, of Glendale, Arizona, was with some friends playing video games. Colter started joking with one of his friends about having a gun. According to reports, he reached into his back pocket and took out a 9mm handgun. Keeping the gun hidden behind his back he racked the slide to eject the chambered round. But he neglected to remove the magazine and didn't realize that he had also chambered a second round.
Colter pointed the gun in the direction of his friend and pulled the trigger expecting to hear a "click." Instead, the gun went off and he shot his friend in the chest.
The man was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Colter told police he had purchased the gun three months earlier for protection. He bought the gun through a private sale via an Internet website. Because it was a private sale, with no background check, Colter did not have be 21. If he had gone to a licensed firearm dealer he would not have been able to buy the handgun.
Colter told police he wasn't really familiar with the gun. He didn't receive an owner's manual, had received no training and had only fired the handgun once before, at a range.
Colter and other witnesses at the scene said the two men were good friends and that the shooting was unintentional. Colter is being charged with reckless manslaughter.

College campus police officer unintentionally shoots himself in the foot

55-year-old Deputy Chief Keith Hough is a campus police officer at Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Thursday morning he was taking part in a live-fire police training exercise inside a mobile firing range parked next to the Holden Police Department.
As Hough went to put his gun back in his holster, he unintentionally discharged the weapon.
Hough was shot in the right foot. He was taken to the local hospital where he is listed in good condition.

10-year-old finds handgun, unintentionally shoots and kills himself

10-year-old Eric Klyaz, of San Diego, California, was playing at a friend's house when the children found a Sig-Sauer 9-millimeter handgun. Eric and the 9-year-old girl were playing with the gun when Eric unintentionally discharged the weapon, shooting himself in the chest.
The shooting was reported about 4:15 p.m. and Eric died shortly afterwards at a local hospital.
According to reports, the gun's owner, Todd Francis, told police "he had an unloaded 9-mm handgun inside a clear plastic storage container inside the garage" and that his children "were not aware he had the handgun, or where he had placed the handgun."
The district attorney is still investigating and will decide if any charges will be filed against Francis.

Teen shot when gun goes off in room above her

18-year-old Rachel Myers, of Avon, Indiana, was visiting friends and had gone into a downstairs bathroom to change her clothes. While she was in the bathroom two male teenagers were in a room above her handling a loaded 12-gauge shotgun.
The teens unintentionally discharged the gun and the round went through the floor and hit Rachel in the bathroom below. She was flown to a hospital in Indianapolis for treatment of injuries to her thighs. She is listed in stable condition.
The shooter was the 19-year-old son of the homeowner.
Police have ruled the incident an accident but are still investigating.

Man misses squirrel, shoots neighbor instead

70-year-old Gregory Watson, of Black Forest, Colorado, was trying to shoot a squirrel in his yard. Watson missed and instead the bullet struck his 67-year-old neighbor who was working nearby.
The victim was shot in the arm. He was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released.
Watson was charged with third-degree assault and prohibited use of a weapon. Both charges are misdemeanors.

4-year-old boy unintentionally shoots and kills his father

35-year-old Justin Thomas, of Phoenix, Arizona, and his 4-year-old son made an unannounced trip Friday to visit a friend in Prescott, Arizona. Just minutes after arriving in the home, the boy found a loaded, unlocked handgun. He picked up the gun, asked a question about it, then pulled the trigger.
Thomas was shot in the chest. He was taken to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Thomas is an Army special forces veteran who served in Iraq.
A man who lives next door to where the shooting occurred said his neighbor kept a loaded gun for protection.
"This appears to be an accident," said a police spokesperson. "There was no conflict in the stories of those in the house. The resident didn't know his former roommate was stopping by to visit. We want to remind people without making a villain of this person, that if a child is visting our home, the first thing to do would be put the firearm away."
Police do not expect to file any charges against the gun owner.

Utah police chief unintentionally shoots himself during training exercise

Police Chief Kevin Warren, of North Ogden, Utah, unintentionally shot himself Thursday during a training exercise at the department's shooting range.
"He was doing some drills required of him that involved reaching across his body to get his gun," said a police spokesperson. "Somehow, his finger hit the trigger."
Warren's .40-caliber handgun discharged and the bullet hit his right forearm. He was taken to the local hospital where he was treated and released.
The training exercise was described as a simulation of scenarios officers are likely to encounter in the line of duty. Two certified firearms instructors were supervising the range at the time.
Warren has 33 years of law enforcement experience.
"You know, if you drive a car for 30 years there's a good chance you will get in an accident," the police spokesperson added. "Same here, this can happen to the best of them."

Girl shot and killed on her 13th birthday by stepbrother cleaning his AK-47

19-year-old Austin McCord, of Joshua, Texas was clearing his AK-47 when he unintentionally discharged the weapon. The bullet hit Austin's step-sister, Emilee Bates, in the stomach.
Emilee was airlifted to the hospital in Fort Worth where she died two hours later. She died on her 13th birthday.
"There is no question in our minds that this is just a horribly tragic accident," said the local sheriff. "He did everything he could do after the firearm was discharged."
According to the sheriff's report, Austin had placed two dummy rounds above the loaded magazine of the AK-47 so he could clean the gun. He ejected the dummy rounds and thought he was making the weapon safe by pulling the trigger to drop the bolt on an empty chamber. But he forgot he had a loaded magazine in the weapon, and the gun discharged.
No charges are pending.

Toddler shot when gun falls, discharges

A 3-year-old Bossier Parish, Louisiana boy is in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound.
The boy was at his home Monday when another child knocked over a .22 caliber rifle. The rifle was propped, loaded and unlocked, against a sliding glass door. When the child attempted to open the door, the gun fell over and discharged. The 3-year-old was shot in the left side, near the chest cavity.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Shreveport and listed in stable condition.
The sheriff has ruled the shooting an accident and no charges will be filed.

Woman unintentionally shoots and kills husband during gun lesson

42-year-old Michele Wanko, of Parkside, Pennsylvania, and her husband, 43-year-old William, were at home "casually drinking" vodka and lemonade when they decided to go into the basement. William wanted to show his wife how to use a semiautomatic handgun. Michele wanted to be prepared in case someone tried to break in to their home.
According to police, William took several guns out of a gun safe and was demonstrating to his wife "how the weapon worked as far as taking the magazine out, making sure it was safe, and how to pull the slide back."
As William was reaching in the safe, Michele picked up another gun and pulled the slide back. "When she let go to the slide, the weapon went off," said the local police chief.
William was struck in the upper chest, just below the Adam's apple.
According to reports, he said "I can't believe you shot me", tried to go up the basement stairs but fell back down.
Police and emergency were called to the home shortly before 4 a.m. William was taken to the hospital where we was pronounced dead.
"Why, after six-and-a-half hours of drinking, would you go down and handle a gun, especially with someone who never shot a weapon before?" said the local police chief.
The couple have two small children, ages 5 and 2, who were asleep upstairs when the shooting occurred.
Michele was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and possessing an instrument of crime. She is currently out on bail.

11-year-old hit by stray bullet left paralyzed

11-year-old Tayloni Mazyck, of Brooklyn, New York, was walking with her mother near their home in Bedford-Stuyvesant when she was struck by a stray bullet. The girl, nicknamed Tutu, was the victim of a fight between rival gang members.
According to her aunt, "The bullet went into her mouth, down her throat and ricocheted through her spine. The bullet is lodged at the very bottom of her spine.She was just coming to my house to visit when this all happened. That's all. It could have been anyone."
Tutu is paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors say it is too early to tell if the paralysis is permanent.
17-year-old Kane Cooper has been arrested in connection with the shooting. He has been charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment. According to reports, Cooper has several prior arrests, including arrests for assaulting a police officer, trespassing and weapons possession. He was out on bail on a prior gun charge when he opened fire with the 9mm handgun.